Anglo-Indian Community in Kolkata: A Celebration of Hope

• Bow Barracks, central Kolkata, hosts the annual Christmas celebrations for the Anglo-Indian community.

• The community, which includes many Anglo-Indians who moved away, has grown in popularity over the past decade.

• The community’s attendance has increased over the last decade, with St. Francis Xavier’s Church in Bowbazar, a Roman Catholic Anglo-Indian community, becoming a popular destination.

• Despite the community’s thriving past, the number of Anglo-Indians in India has declined significantly over the last decade.

• The community’s emigration has led to a decline in the number of Anglo-Indians, with the Calcutta Rangers Club, established in 1896, now only having 400-500 members.

• The community has been educating itself, with Marian Co-Educational School in Kolkata hosting festivities for the community.

• Anglo-Indians have been instrumental in shaping the city’s cultural landscape, with the boom in contemporary English music in Calcutta between the 1960s and the 1980s seen as a contribution.

• The community’s biggest crisis is the gradual fading away of its age-old traditions, with the removal of MPs and MLAs from the community in 2020 being a significant loss.

• Anglo-Indian entrepreneur Craig Gomes has started AngloNet, a virtual professional and social networking platform for Anglo-Indians worldwide, and The Anglo, a monthly magazine archiving Anglo-Indian history, culture, recipes, and personal life stories.